Best Way to Find/Buy a Dino

Welcome Peter!

Good luck with your Dino search.

I have to warn you: Once you get a Dino you might not want any other old cars!

 

Hey Peter,

Your Dino just showed up in Qatar

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=304036

 

Yes but is MINE, ALL MINE

But if you need any advice then please just ask.

Simon

 

Beautiful car, Simon, congrats!

 

Peter, it won't be easy. It took me several months of searching. One evening, when I was about to shut down, I went to the inner pages of a Google search, and there it was. Considering "your" Dino could be anywhere in the World, the Internet is probably the most efficient recourse. Try Sheehan, Fantasy Junction, the usual suspects too.

A GT in my experience will be more difficult to find. In your shoes, I would stick with that choice, but would make color, seats, Euro spec, interior color nice-to-have but not essential items. Over time, you could always redo the GT to suit yourself.

You are obviously an experienced car person who knows exactly what he wants, but I would repeat the advice to get the best you can afford. An unrestored car is propably ideal, unless you can assure yourself that the restorer was competent and cut no corners.

I was lucky that the Dino that turned up for me was exactly in the color combination I wanted (similar to yours). However, it turned out to be more expensive than what I thought was top dollar at the time, so be prepared,

Good luck!

Andres

 

Peter- where do you live? Nick Soprano at Competition & sport motors ( I may have the name reversed) is in White Plains NY. He has access to some unusual cars. I went up there one day to look at a beautiful Dino in exactly your color scheme (more dark blue though) and as I walked back to the parking lot he brought 2 others there for me to look at. He charges absolutely top dollar and has the Wall Street carriage trade so he gets it- but he has the cars. If he doesn't have them he knows where to get them. I would try him. Black horse motors in Bridegport CT has a yellow dino that had some weird mods(can be changed back to original) and it was a nice car. They are really fun cars & you can learn all about them on this forum. Good luck

 

Peter,

GT's will be the hardest to find. I agree with Andres comments. It took me months to find mine(Euro Spec *03932*). My decision was based on it having great substance. If everything underneath is good it's not a big deal to make it the color combo and specification you want.
I also think starting out with a Dino that drives great from the start is a plus. History and paperwork is also a plus in that you can trace what's been done, where it's been etc. When I found my "diamond in the rough" at Fantasy Junction it had amazing paperwork and receipts going back to '77(including legal DOT importation in to the U.S.), previous owner had it for 30 years, wore its original color combo of Blu Scuro, its original caramel beige heat seamed vinyl. Its original matching numbers engine and gearbox only had 3000 mile since a full rebuild. The superficial cosmetics scared many away. I bought it right, am fully in love with it. This forum is the best with connecting with really knowledgable Dino enthusiasts. Because of this I now have a complete manual set, toolkit, jack, advice, etc etc. We can try to steer you in the right direction. Priority should be to find the one with the right substance. Don't
let small issues or mods scare you away if everthing else is good.

Best of luck in your search!
Freeman

 

Nothing is impossible...with Dino, it all is small issues.

Regards, Alberto
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Taking a few months to find the right car doesn't sound too bad! It took me a year and a half to find just the right 550! Although, here in the UK, there are fewer cars to choose from.

Take a look at PistonHeads, a UK website with loads for cars for sale. There are always a few 246s. www.pistonheads.com/sales At least it is a good comparison and it may not be too onerous to ship one and license it in the USA.

Have fun looking!

MAL

 

I found this link, dont know how up to date but has RHD and LHD GTs listed.
Good Luck!
nd

http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/find/4100_results.asp?lmanufacturer=10042&whatbutton.x=0&bsubmit=true&lmodelflag=12263&page=0

 

What a good looking dino!
http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/find/4100_results.asp?lmanufacturer=10042&whatbutton.x=0&bsubmit=true&lmodelflag=12263&page=0&lCarID=1815245